This invention relates to bearing guards The invention is especially adapted for guarding the bearing of a rotating mandrel of a compost turner, or aerator, from entanglement by polymeric bags used to haul leaves, grass clippings and the like.
A problem of immense proportion in the United States and throughout the world is the dwindling availability of landfill sites. Up to 40% of the volume of landfills, depending on the time of the year, is occupied by yard waste such as leaves, grass clippings and the like. One solution is to recycle such waste by converting it to topsoil through composting. Composting utilizes naturally occurring organisms to convert dead plant matter into a form that growing plants can use again. In order to be commercially feasible, it is necessary to process large volumes of yard waste in the least possible time. One method under consideration includes the arranging of yard waste in long piles known as windrows. The windrows must be occasionally churned to maintain the proper composition, temperature, moisture and oxygen levels. The internal temperature of the windrow must be maintained between 100 and 140.degree. F. for rapid decomposition.
Compost turners, or aerators, have been developed for churning the windrows. One problem that has developed is that yard waste is often received by municipalities in polyethylene bags, commonly known as garbage bags. Such bags have a tendency to wrap around the shaft of the turning mandrel and foul its support bearing, significantly reducing the bearings' useful life.